tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86162108432612172952024-03-12T19:06:12.689-07:00Belfast NightlifeReviews and information for Belfast Nightlife written by a student at Queens: Daniel GillenDaniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-67148823938912633732013-08-31T06:25:00.000-07:002013-08-31T06:31:55.600-07:00Deconstructing a Take-Out Menu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This post has nothing to do with Belfast Nightlife.<br />
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One of my favorite internet reads is this story from the satirical news site 'The Onion'.<br />
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CAMBRIDGE, MA—Jon Rosenblatt, 27, a Harvard University English graduate student specializing in modern and postmodern critical theory, deconstructed the take-out menu of a local Mexican restaurant "out of sheer force of habit" Monday.</div>
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 28px;">"What's wrong with me?" Rosenblatt asked fellow graduate student Amanda Kiefer following the incident. "Am I completely losing my mind? I just wanted to order some food from Burrito Bandito. Next thing I know, I'm analyzing the menu's content as a text, or 'text,' subjecting it to a rigorous critical reevaluation informed by Derrida, De Man, etc., as a construct, or 'construct,' made up of multi-varied and, in fact, often self-contradictory messages, or 'meanings,' derived from the cultural signifiers evoked by the menu, or 'menu,' and the resultant assumptions within not only the mind of the menu's 'authors' and 'readers,' but also within the larger context of our current postmodern media environment. Man, I've got to finish my dissertation before I end up in a rubber room." </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.theonion.com/articles/grad-student-deconstructs-takeout-menu,85/">http://www.theonion.com/articles/grad-student-deconstructs-takeout-menu,85/</a><br />
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This article is great, because as well as being very funny, it is insightful. It gives some 'food for thought' about food from different cultures and how we 'appropriate' them.<br />
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The article made me think about Indian food in British society, how we refer to 'ordering an Indian' and then order something that an actual person living in India has probably never heard of. For example the Tikka Massalla was invented in Birmingham I've never been to China, but I feel with some confidence that if I went there, I'd struggle to find somewhere that could serve me a recognisable number 7 special sweet and sour.<br />
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Given this, it's reasonable to say that food has become a sort of pastiche of the culture from which it (in the popular consensus) originates. I know of an Irish person who went to a Greek island and set up a 'Mexican' restaurant . The customers are English holiday makers and they get a 'Mexican' hat, poncho and fake cigar to wear whilst they eat their meal. Further, the whole experience is not a replication of Mexican culture, but the American appropriation of Mexican culture popularised in American media.<br />
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This, illustrates a recurring theme throughout the Anglo-Western world of appropriating and then serving a caricature of a culture or identity to be consumed, perhaps re-enforcing certain prejudices in the process.<br />
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Indeed, it seems prejudiced and the food industry often go hand in hand. Take for example this news story from my home town in England:<br />
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<img alt="Padiham chippy sign is racist - claim" src="http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/resources/images/2611597.jpg?type=display" /><br />
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A CHIP shop sign announcing its new owners are English has been branded ‘racist’.</div>
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Paul Bradbury and his wife Rachel have taken over the Chippy On The Green in Hapton Road, Padiham.</div>
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They have hung a banner outside which says ‘Under new management with English owners’.</div>
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Calls have been made from Burnley’s MP and the mayor of Padiham for it to be taken down.</div>
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But Mr Bradbury remains defiant and said people who think it’s racist are narrow-minded.</div>
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<a href="http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/10641120.Padiham_chippy_sign_is_racist___claim/?ref=mmsp">http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/10641120.Padiham_chippy_sign_is_racist___claim/?ref=mmsp</a><br />
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This story is one of those very common occurrences of "being subtly racists whilst feigning ignorance" that you read about all the time. Is there anyone out there who does not genuinely believe the 'chippy' owner intended to communicate something other than "I am a white person, definitely not an Asian, people who don't like Asians will feel at home here".<br />
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A rebuttal I have heard is that other establishments refer to themselves as "Turkish" or "Chinese" with no trouble, so why can't he. However a better comparison would be if a Takeaway called itself "Padhiam Curry House, owned by Sunni's". That would certainly raise a few eyebrows.<br />
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I've met a lot of Muslim people over the years, but now that I think about it, I've no idea if they were Sunni or Shiite. I wonder if they socialise together in towns like Burnley, and if they do that weird thing Northern Irish people sometimes do when meeting a stranger for the first time trying to feel for if the other is a catholic or a protestant.</div>
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</script>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-23325020245360696662012-06-24T07:40:00.000-07:002012-06-24T07:40:58.782-07:00What to do in Belfast Northern Ireland? Enjoy a pint of Guinness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
No matter where you go in the world, you'll always encounter familiar places (everywhere has bars for instance) but it is the small differences that stand out and you tend to remember.<div>
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The best and most immediate of course comes with Ireland's greatest tourist attraction - a pint of Guinness.</div>
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No matter where you go in England, New York, France or Australia, you're always going to get a terrible, rushed pint. I've often tried giving the bar man/women explicit instructions on how to pour a pint of Guinness and it all goes fine until the initial 'rest period' where you need to leave the Guinness to settle for just over a minute until you top it off.</div>
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When I worked behind the bar in Belfast, you'd serve another customer and then come back to the pint and top it up. Easy. However for some reason, when I tell the bar staff in England to leave it for a minute, they almost always just stand there staring at it. Even whilst other customers are waiting. And so you need to spend the whole minute making sure they don't come in to early.</div>
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It's really annoying, often if you look down to just check your phone, or focus on the barperson and not the pint some other helpful member of staff will come along and destroy the pint for you. </div>
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In Belfast, often you'll pay for it and then the barman will tell you to go and sit down and he or a glass collector brings the pint over to you. It's great.</div>
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Also, it's generally accepted that you can ask the glass collectors for table service. You don't get the formality of a bill (or even a tray sometimes), but if they say they will, you just give them your money and order and they bring you back the drinks and change. It's great for when things are starting to get busy in a place like McHughes. You should always tip a pound or two when this happens though, it would be really rude not too.</div>
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Another great thing about Belfast bars is 90% of the time you can hand over your phone and they will charge it up for you. I think if I asked at my local in England if they'd charge my phone for me they'd think I was a nutter.</div>
</div>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-20419832802145654112012-05-12T09:02:00.001-07:002012-05-12T09:02:48.188-07:00Returning to Belfast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I haven't lived in Belfast for almost 3 years now. However I do make regular trips back and enjoy it thoroughly.<br />
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The last time I returned I flew out of Liverpool John Moore 'The Beatles' airport. Or at least I think that's what it was called. I was three hours early for my flight (I tend to be early for everything, it's a useful habbit) and so went to the bar and watched Chelsea get beat by a team I can't remember. I had about three pints and then started talking to the guy next to me, Andrew.<br /><br />He was flying out to Mallorca to meet his family who had flown out earlier. He was about 45 and I often enjoy meeting much older people in transitional places like an airport. A brief friendship based upon circumstance is often as enjoyable as longer ones based on mutual interest.<br />
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By the time I got on the place I was about 5 pints deep and had a can of Stella whilst flying over the Irish sea (why do planes only ever serve Stella by the way??). It was a very enjoyable feeling to fly back down into Belfast and I even managed to see the top of the house I used to live in, in the Holylands South Belfast.<br />
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Upon arriving I saw that my kind auntie had came down to pick me up and brought my three young cousins along too and I was very pleased to see them. On the route to her house my aunt told me my uncle was in the local pub, 'The Parador' which I have written about here before, and she dropped my off outside there.<br />
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The Parador is a very interesting pub, if ever there was a pub with its solid group of regulars it is the Parador. I have been that place enough times to be considered a regular in other pubs, but in the Parador - no chance. Very often I stand at the bar for a significant amount of time whilst all the regulars get served first but that's just the way it is.<br />
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Happily for some reason Burnley were playing football at the time and after a lot of trouble involving projectors being re-commissioned and multiple extension leads connected, they were able to get it on the TV. Brilliant! Burnley lost 2-0.<br />
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After a few pint with my uncle and his friends, an Old man started speaking to us: "I remember the first time you came in here, you were a wee lad and were buckled after a few pints and talking about starting univeristy".<br />
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I found this strange as I had no memory of coming to this place before I started university, much less talking to him but I'm sure it happened and I'm pleased I left a strong enough impression for him to remember it three years later without meeting inbetween.<br />
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I soon got very drunk and had to go home. It's a problem I often encounter and when drinking Harp Ice it's even stronger. There is something in Harp Ice, much like in Pringles where you just can't stop drinking it. Harp Ice gives me an insatiable thirst which results in me being completely pissed at 8pm on a Saturday night. It's very strange, almost as if it's salt water I have a sip and then immediately want a bigger sip. Only ever with Harp Ice though. Having worked at numerous pubs in Belfast I've also seen people drink it in a similar fashion.<br />
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It's also true that Harp Ice is just the same as Harp, but just colder. Some times it comes out of the same barrel!<br />
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Harp is shit though, never drink it, it is the only pint I've ever bought and not finished, it was undrinkabe. Even Harp taps are covered in a load of crap, whereas Harp Ice taps are all frozen and have Ice on them. Why do I never see this in England, it is so cool.<br />
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The next day I had to accompany my uncle and cousins to the falls road swimming pool. It was really good and even had a sauna but I couldn't use it as "The key to this morning Dan is child safety, Enda (my cousin) can swim but you'll very quickly learn his limitations".<br />
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This was very true, he was constantly over estimating his swimming ability, swimming to far from the wall and too deep, almost drowning and then relying on me to save him. Then he'd do it again.<br />
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He clearly highly enjoyed swimming however and probably was mentally seeking a competence level much higher than the physical limitations of his age would allow him. I had a great time swimming with him though, I would love to be able to spend more time with my younger cousins.<br />
<br />Will continue later</div>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-56007464373837995532011-09-20T13:32:00.000-07:002011-09-20T13:35:16.711-07:00Exclusive Interview with Tritonal Before their Belfast debut Sat 24th September at Questhouse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">I had a chance to ask Tritonal a few questions before their Belfast debut this Saturday night. It's at the Questhouse at Brownes and looks like it's set to be a really good night. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Quest-at-Warehouse-Boucher-RD-Belfast/161387507211127?sk=wall" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>pages/Quest-at-Warehouse-<wbr></wbr>Boucher-RD-Belfast/<wbr></wbr>161387507211127?sk=wall</a></span><br />
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<div><div>Q: How was Tritonal Formed?<br />
We met on an online Sound Design Forum discussing methods of using the Virus TI! We developed a friendship over IM and quickly realized we had many things in common musically! Pretty soon Dave took a trip from Washington DC to Austin, and the magic happened!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Q: What's been your best night on the tour so far and why?<br />
Well, thats a tough question! Korea Live with Cristina Soto was really special, amazing to see that many people sing our tracks whom don't speak English! Also, playing Mainstage at Electric Daisy Carnival was one for the books!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Q: Have you ever been to Ireland before and are you looking forward to a proper pint of Guinness when you're here?<br />
We've never been, but are SOOOOO Excited to come play guys!! We are really looking forward to the entire culture. :)</div><div><br />
</div><div>Q: What other DJ's do you find most inspiring?<br />
Well, we really love what guys like Above & Beyond, Gareth Emery, Mat Zo & Arty have been doing as of late - to stuff!!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Q: For readers who haven't listened to much progressive trance before, do you have a soundcloud/youtube link to a track or artist that is a great representation of the Genre?<br />
We have loads of listenable clips on our site, where you can listen to our Air Up There Radio Show as well! <a href="http://www.tritonalmusic.com/" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.tritonalmusic.com/" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">www.tritonalmusic.com</a> Cheers!</div></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><strong>Rising DJ Duo Tritonal's Debut Performance at Questhouse on Sat 24th September</strong><br />
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BELFAST, September 12, 2011--US-based trance and progressive DJ duo <a href="http://www.tritonalmusic.com/" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">Tritonal</a> will make their debut appearance at Questhouse Nightclub on Sat 24th September.<br />
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In just a few short years, Tritonal has become one of the most recognizable names in the international electronic dance music scene, with track after track flying up the <a href="http://www.beatport.com/artist/tritonal/75268" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">Beatport charts</a> and landing in the sets of some of the most renowned and respected DJs in the world, including Above & Beyond, Ferry Corsten, and Gareth Emery. Their first smash hit, Piercing Quiet, was voted Track of the Week by thousands of listeners of Armin van Buuren's 'A State of Trance' radio show and led to the success of Tritonal's own monthly radio show, 'Air Up There.'<br />
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Currently on a whirlwind, worldwide tour to promote their album, "Piercing the Quiet," Tritonal shows no signs of slowing down for the rest of 2011. Throughout the summer, they have provided a guest mix for <a href="http://www.trancearoundtheworld.com/" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">Trance Around the World</a> with Above & Beyond, became the resident DJs for the summer on <a href="http://www.siriusxm.com/electricarea" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">Sirius XM's Electric Area</a>, and released their latest single, <a href="http://www.beatport.com/track/detail/2025672?utm_campaign=bp_share&utm_source=bp_share_bitly&utm_content=bp_share_track&utm_medium=bp_share_track_2025672" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">Tritonal's Club Mix of Cramp's <i>RU116</i></a> on Anjunabeats. They recently wrapped a music video for their track "Still With Me," which features the haunting vocals of Cristina Soto and a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJMlGTFEH98" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">highlight reel</a> that features some of their latest achievements.<br />
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Tritonal's prosperous and collaborative career has taken the duo to some of the world's best dance music events in Russia, Asia, the U.S, the U.K, and Australia. This year, they have performed at Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas and Ultra Music Festival in Miami and have upcoming shows scheduled in Guatamela, Belfast, and Vancouver. </span></div>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-44921826441071957582011-09-12T10:51:00.000-07:002011-09-12T10:51:54.001-07:00A Few Press Releases from my mate DJ Gregg McCann<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I wouldn't normally just post a press release up like this but DJ Gregg McCann used to keep me entertained with his great DJing skills back when I worked at Lavery's so I've no doubt these nights are gonna be ace. Might even try and get back to Belfast for a Saturday night at Auntie Annies sometime soon!<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Anything Goes</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Kaleidoscopic Club</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">with Dj Gregz McCann</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Monday 19th & 26th Sept. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">9pm - 3am</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Love & Death Inc</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">10a Ann Street</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Belfast</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Adm: £3 before midnight, £5 after</span></div><div style="color: #001ba8; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=218304414891304" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>event.php?eid=218304414891304</a></span><span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The summer hibernation of Belfast is nearly at an end as students return to put the buzz back into Belfast. Students love to party and Love and Death Inc is the perfect venue to kickstart the academic year. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Freshers Festival consists of an exemplary array of club nights with awesome tunes played by top notch djs and magnificent drinks promotions that runs Monday to Thursday for the first two weeks of term in what happens to be Belfast’s coolest venue.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Anything Goes is the perfect event to launch this carnival of clubs, the brainchild of Dj Gregz McCann this kaleidoscopic club hits all the bases for the perfect student party night. Modern dancefloor sensations merge with all time anthems, from the cool to the kitsch, from the underground to the popular, all angles are covered providing a dancefloor friendly frenzy.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Drinks Promotions All Night</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Selected Spirit & Mixer £2</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Selected Bottled Beer £2</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">+</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Free Shot for First 50 People.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Free Admission Password sent via <a href="http://www.facebook.com/djgregz" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #001ba8; letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">www.facebook.com/djgregz</span></a> <wbr></wbr>on day of the event.</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Soundation presents</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">ECLECTIC ELECTRIC</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">with Dj Gregz McCann</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Every Saturday @ 9pm</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Free Admission</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Auntie Annies (Downstairs)</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Dublin Rd, Belfast</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="color: #001ba8; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/djgregz" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/djgregz</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Eclectic Electric is legendary when talking about clubs in the north of Ireland. Now in its 15th year its the brainchild of local man of music Greg McCann. Having started in the Cellar Bar Lurgan in the mid 90s, it has moved to various venues throughout Belfast, and now it is on the move again taking up residence downstairs in Auntie Annies every Saturday night.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Noted for its no-nonsense approach to music with little regard for chart trends, styles or fads, it has built its reputation on playing what would be considered real music. The ethos has always been “if its good, it will get played”. A audio orgy for music fans as styles and genres merge featuring sounds from the birth of rock and roll right through to the innovators of the modern age. Tunes of both a classic and contemporary vintage fuse to offer a kaleidoscope of melodies, beats and grooves. Indie, Soul, New Wave, Rock, Hip Hop, Electronica and Underground anthems abound, blurring the lines between pub and club and offering a selection of sounds that satisfy varied tastes.</span></div></span></div>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-85817998097646399212011-07-14T05:08:00.000-07:002011-07-14T05:08:29.634-07:00Get down to McHughs Tonight!Tonight at 7:30pm at McHughs a fundraiser is being held in the basement to send my good friend Patricia to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.<br />
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Looks like a great lineup, and only £5 on the door. I've always loved McHughs as any reader of this blog will know, so get down there!<br />
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More info here: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=125487560873439">http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=125487560873439</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHT1LPDMDtHbo91fypO9KSrDRDQdU_YKKeskt4dybv-gZeY0SsS4O71lprYyeyNYpPl42cCgFM0IA_9h3-10GbdiAnnms-w9-xp6bcghoYQ1peAOk_RilVbXvESLUQ_QiCOkjy9qakyQg/s1600/mchugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHT1LPDMDtHbo91fypO9KSrDRDQdU_YKKeskt4dybv-gZeY0SsS4O71lprYyeyNYpPl42cCgFM0IA_9h3-10GbdiAnnms-w9-xp6bcghoYQ1peAOk_RilVbXvESLUQ_QiCOkjy9qakyQg/s1600/mchugs.jpg" /></a></div>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-38006914028386532572011-07-08T14:01:00.000-07:002011-07-08T14:01:14.573-07:00An English Students Guide to Uni in BelfastIf you didn't know originally, I'm from a town in the North-West of England called Burnley. I went to Belfast for Uni becuase I had a family background from there and had always thought of it as as much my home as Burnley itself.<br />
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However not all young English people who chose to go to Belfast for Uni have that background. Some are understandably worried or unsure of what to expect when they get there.<br />
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The legacy of the troubles still lives on in people minds, however for an English student in Belfast this is a complete non-issue. In my three years at QUB never once did I hear of English people getting in any sort of bother becuase of their nationality. Although the catholic/protestant divide is still there, it's not antagonistic.<br />
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Interestingly however, just within the first couple weeks of living in halls social groups were formed largely on Catholic/Protestant backgrounds without anyone seeming to be consciously choosing who they hung around with on those lines. For me this wasn't a negative, just an interesting feature of living in Belfast. Similar to the rivalry between City and United fans in Manchester, although without the violence.<br />
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Also at this point, if the reader does still not believe me, it's worth mentioning that Belfast was recently voted <a href="http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/belfast-enters-top-10-of-uks-safest-cities-13396146.html">the safest city in the UK</a>.<br />
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In terms of the drinking culture, Belfast has always reminded me of the North English town I grew up in. People have their own way of speaking that is very different from standard English. Where as in Burnley you would have a 'Meat Pie' for your tea, in Belfast you'd get a 'Cowboy Supper' or a 'Curry Chip'.<br />
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The bars in Belfast have some fantastic history and there are some fantastic spots for people of any taste. The major two differences between Belfast and towns in England is the prices and the opening hours.<br />
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Belfast can be quite expensive, outside the Student Union the average price of a pint is about £3.20. Almost all the bars close at 1-1:30AM, even on a Saturday Night. Belfast has a few regular clubs that open till 3am, however it has nothing like a Walkabout which you'd get in England, a Bar during the day that turns into a late night club at night.<br />
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One of my favorite things about Belfast is how friendly everyone is, I was only there a few days and I was already friends with born and bread Belfast people with who I continue to be friends with today.<br />
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Culturally, the city has some fantastic art gallery's, murals and historic spots if that's your thing. My favourite day in Belfast was probably walking around little alleyways in the city centre with my Dad looking at statues and paintings you'd never knew existed if you didn't know where to look.<br />
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Belfast is a brilliant city and I couldn't recommend it more to anyone, no-matter where you're from.<br />
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As always, if you have any questions email me, the adress is on the right of the page. And if you'd 'like' the Facebook box I'd appreciate it.Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-10686815881680496152011-05-30T13:31:00.000-07:002011-05-30T13:46:32.745-07:00Ask Danny, Your Letters Published<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v105/solaris152000/boozing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v105/solaris152000/boozing.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A couple of times a week I usually get people emailing me asking me about going out in Belfast on a certain night or where a certain DJ is playing etc. and so I thought I'd start publishing the e-mails and my responses here for all to see.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Just yesterday I was sent this:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Hey Danny,<br />
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Me and my mate are heading to belfast from dublin on tuesday until saturday. We are basically up for the laugh and going on piss but have no idea where to go as we have never been to belfast. We're talking tuesady, wednesday, thursday and friday night. Any suggestions would be great.<br />
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Ta very much :)</span></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Now anyone looking to go out in Belfast for 5 nights in a row has my respect and so I was very happy to help them out with some </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">recommendations</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">:</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Hey Adriana!</i></span></span></span></span><br />
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</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Great thing about Belfast is there's somewhere everybody goes every night.</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Tuesday night everybody goes to this bar/club thing called Limelight which is like 3 bars in one, all playing different music. It's 3/4quid in and they usually have alright drink offers on. Kicks off at 10 and usually finishes 1:30-3am</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Wednesday, I'd go to Belfasts best nightclub called Rain. It opens 10pm and stays open serving drinks till 3am. It can get pretty busy so don't expect to get in past midnight but it does great drink deals, cocktails and is probably Belfasts best nightclub.</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Thursday I'd normally go to the student union, but it might be really busy or not open depending if Queens has finished yet so I'd probably go Laverys.</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>If you're planning on doing a lot of drinking, Laverys is somewhere you want to get aquainted with. It's central, opens at midday and closes at 2am. Has 3 levels, one a nightclub, one a pool room and the other has 2 bars in. One which is a normal old bar, the other, the back bar quite funky with reggea nights and stuff. Really good crowd there and very mixed too.</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Friday, theres a great bar/restaurant called McHughs that I used to work at. Friday nights they have a club night downstairs which although a bit small is great fun and gets a lot of the young proffesional crowd.</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Saturday, the pool room in laveries turns into a nightclub and is utterly awesome. Can't beat it.</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>'The Bot' is probably belfasts most famous bar, but imo it's crap. Southerners seem to like it though.</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Have a good time!</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Danny</i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">If you'd like some advice on Belfast's nightlife please feel free to send me an email at dannygillen@gmail.com</span><br />
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</div>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-13923729653107355882011-05-09T07:11:00.000-07:002011-05-09T07:11:32.955-07:00Big Beat Re-union Belfast, Friday 13th of May @ Love and Death Inc.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I've just gotten word from the well known DJ Gregz McCann that the big beat re-union is coming to Belfast at the new club 'Love and Death Inc'. I've never been to the new club but I've heard it's good and they do food as well during the day so I hope to give it a review soon. I used to be a big fan of Greg when he DJ'ed over at Laverys so I'm sure this will be a good night.<br />
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Here's the press release I was sent:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>A phenomena has been happening in clubs across the UK over the last year as Big Beat is well and truly back. The brainchild of legendary DJ Cut La Roc, Big Beat Reunion shows have been taking place in London, Brighton, Birmingham, Bristol and a host of other towns and cities nationwide. Acts that have featured include such luminaries as The Dub Pistols, Propellerheads, Jon Carter, Aphrodite, Freestylers, Elite Force and the undisputed king of Big Beat, Fat Boy Slim.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>Big Beat fused a number of styles including Hip Hop, Breakbeat, Drum and Bass, Techno, Soul, Funk and House combined with classic rock and disco samples, this movement brought Indie kids to the dancefloor and let them party all night.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>It’s this fusion party ethos that have made Big Beat Reunion club nights such a massive success, and which are now being brought to Belfast as local DJ/Promoter Gregz McCann has lined up a series of events in what has to be Belfast’s coolest club; Love & Death Inc.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>First up is a DJ set from the scene’s ultimate party band Bentley Rhythm Ace as one half of the dynamic production duo and one time Pop Will Eat Itself member Richard March makes a return to Belfast for a party set of eclectic sounds and dancefloor focused beats. </i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>Bentley Rhythm Ace were formed when Richard and Mike Stokes met while scouring boxes of second hand vinyl at car boot sales. A mutual love of rare grooves and off beat sounds was discovered and led to the pair developing a sound all of their own which manifested itself on their self titled debut album which was released on Skint records. The closing track from the album "Return of the Hardcore Jumble Carbootechnodisco Roadshow" seemed to encapsulate the band’s sound in terms of both live and DJ sets.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>Richard will be bringing a bag of tunes from a very broad spectrum mixing tracks where the samples were sourced with underground floor fillers. All of which will be delivered in that classic fun filled Bentley’s style which has endeared them to lovers of music across the globe.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>Support on the night comes from Belfast’s own beat behemoth Gregz McCann.</i></span></div></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Friday 13th May</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">10pm - 3am</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Adm £5</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Love and Death Inc</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">10a Ann Street</span></div></b></span><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Belfast</span> </b></div><br />
</div>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-3656793803844259832011-04-27T05:58:00.000-07:002011-04-28T03:22:50.332-07:00Campaign LK playing in Auntie Annie's this Sunday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I know a lot of people who read this blog are like me massive fans of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBT4ZWy6Lm4">Rubber Bandits</a>.<br />
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Well I've just got an email advertising a gig their old backing band 'Campaign LK' are playing in Auntie Annies this Sunday. After digging around on Youtube I've managed to listen to a few of their songs and they're really good. This rendition of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq8sLRzjp5Q">Rocky Road to Dublin</a> has got to be one of the most original folk performances I've ever heard.<br />
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If you're familiar with the Dropkick Murphy's you'll naturally feel at home with the heavy guitar and drums providing a backdrop to the rap infused lyrics that any good Irishman is familiar with.<br />
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<img height="280" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=24d169e8c8&view=att&th=12f938aa2821e1d8&attid=0.1.1&disp=inline&zw" width="400" /><br />
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Doors open at 9pm this Sunday night at Auntie Annies, admission £5. </div>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-46220435111718320472011-04-06T06:06:00.000-07:002011-04-06T06:06:44.524-07:00Interview with Rosie Romero - Live at Club Mono April16th<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.beatportal.com/uploads/galleries/wiki/Rosie3-1_medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www.beatportal.com/uploads/galleries/wiki/Rosie3-1_medium.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Now I haven't been to Club Mono in quite a while, but the times I have been I've always been impressed by the great atmosphere, fantastic staff, long opening hours and of course - cheap prices.<br />
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I've been told that later this month, Saturday April 16th, Rosie Romero who made her name in the infamous Sankeys of Manchester will be playing in our very own Club Mono and it's sure to be a great night.<br />
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Below is a short press release and interview with the femme fatale herself, be sure to check out<a href="http://www.djrosieromero.com/"> her website</a> to listen to some of her mixes.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 8.5pt;">Rosie has established herself as a leading member of a Nu-Breed of artists, creating waves from her Manchester base in both her DJ and production guises. Honing her trade as a DJ at the legendary ‘Sankeys’ Rosie now plys her DJ trade throughout the UK and with increasing regularity taking her sound to the international marketplace; and playing in over 25 countries, India, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Dubai, Ibiza, Italy, Russia, Egypt, Slovakia, Siberia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland and Bahrain to name a few of the many.. We caught up with Rosie to find out about her jet set lifestyle and what she is up to musically…</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Introduce yourself…</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If you insist, my name is Rosie Romero; I am a Manchester based DJ/Producer who plays music to masses around the world. I have produced and lent my vocals to numerous tracks, a few of which will be hitting the dancefloors far and wide in 2011.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>How long have you been doing this and what have been the highs and the lows in that time?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I have been playing out professionally for the past four years. I started playing on a month on month basis at Sankeys, Manchester that continued for three years, so I must have been doing something right. Playing at such a prestigious club certainly helped me get established on club scene. The difficult part is staying there and there is no element of luck in that …it is sheer hard work and I work my but off.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">My highs have been travelling the world…getting to see all these amazing countries and cultures. Getting to perform to massive crowds, you can’t beat that rush. I am working with my peers in the studio and making what I consider quality music. How good is that!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The travelling is also included in my lows but they are small lows and a small price to pay. The loneliness of travelling and being in hotels on your own is no so good. Luckily for me I befriend people easily whether they want to or not.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>What sort of kit do you produce with?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I produce using Logic and I like to play in stuff on a compact keyboard, I am Grade 6 pianist, so I feel very comfortable on the keys. I love using out there samples; I used a recording of the drone of a mosquito flying in one track I made as a breakdown.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Do you approach remixes differently to originals? </b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Great question! I always like to put the Rosie Romero stamp on anything I am remixing, though I feel it very important to keep the ‘soul’ of the track. Otherwise it will sound disjointed, at odds with the parts that you are trying encapsulate in your sound.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>What makes you agree to a remix… does it have to be a certain type of track?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The only stipulation is that I like it. I will always tailor the remix to fit the original and not vice versa.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>What sort of music do you listen to, what are your current influences?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Gosh, a real wide spectrum of music, from Mersey beat to Missy Elliot. I love Timbaland, the richness and inventiveness of his production always blows me away. I always love the Alex Kenji sound but I am sure not that he influences me in what I produce.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>What do you aim to achieve with one of your sets? Do you play to crowds?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The primary aim in my eyes is to make people dance, it is as simple as that and yes there are certain situations that you have to tweak your set to fit your surroundings. You have to read the situation; I think that is what makes a good DJ and also the ability to create excitement via your music.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>How are crowds different all over the world?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I find different crowds react to different elements in tunes, they identify with different sounds but when I have them totally rocking, I can play anything within reason and get a response. As I mentioned previously, it is about testing the water and creating the atmosphere, that excitement and you have cracked it.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br />
What can people expect? Do you spend much time prepping each individual set?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">People can expect a powerful, energy packed pile driver of set with me jumping about like a maniac. I am a natural performer; I don’t have a reserved bone in my body. They can expect a damn fine night and that is a promise.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>What else you working on?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I’m working on a track with Sandy Rivera, Mark Trophy, DJ Danila, Jorgensen, Jay Kay, Juan Kidd, and remixes for Paul Thomas. I have three tracks coming out on Black Hole Records with my studio partner Kyfu in the next three months and ‘Shut Up’ is out on Big in Ibiza Records shortly. I have a right few monster tracks up my sleeve too….all will be revealed very soon ;)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>What do you do on the daily outside of music?</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 14px; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I own a horse called Rosie, no I didn’t name the horse after myself before you ask, she was already called that. It keeps me fit; I love the fresh air, which clears my head of the hustle and bustle of life.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Download here new track on Beatport Now -</b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/release/detail/350842/Pegasus" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">https://www.beatport.com/en-<wbr></wbr>US/html/content/release/<wbr></wbr>detail/350842/Pegasus</a></span></u></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.djrosieromero.com%2F&h=4a9cb" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">http://www.djrosieromero.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.myspace.com/djrosieromero" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">http://www.myspace.com/<wbr></wbr>djrosieromero</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/djrosieromero" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>djrosieromero</a></div><br />
</div>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-46460445461545083622011-03-20T13:19:00.000-07:002011-03-20T13:19:30.405-07:00Hostel Review: The Linen House Hostel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Over St. Patrick's day week I returned to Belfast and stayed at the Linen House Hostel located just on the outskirts of the city center. I was a little put off by the bad reviews I had seen on the internet but upon arriving I was pleasantly surprised.<br />
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I had ordered a single room and ended up with a room with 2 bunk beds all to myself. I suspect they don't actually have any single rooms but when you only want one bed it doesn't matter how many spare there are in the room with you. The stay cost me £12 a night which wasn't bad at all. In the room, I had a window, sink, rubbish bin and a couple of plug sockets as well as the beds. It was clean and smelt well. The beds were obviously made of cheap materials but they were clean and felt fresh.<br />
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There was a shared bathroom on the floor which was always kept clean and the shower was great but strangely not always warm. I hired a towel for the easy price of a pound and it seemed that late checkout was only a pound per hour as well.<br />
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The hostel was very well equipped with a kitchen, laundry room and everything else a traveler might need.<br />
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There was no curfew at the hostel and in my stay of 4 nights I had no real complaints. The staff were also excellent, especially the American women who did nights. More often than not I was coming in after more than a few drinks and she was more than happy to help me with whatever I needed.<br />
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I'm very glad that this place exists and whenever I manage to drag a few of my English friends over the water, that is where we'll all be staying.<br />
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You can visit the hostel here: <a href="http://www.belfasthostel.com/">http://www.belfasthostel.com/</a></div>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-30584115984873114852011-03-14T13:33:00.000-07:002011-03-14T13:33:19.228-07:00The Perfect Guinness, What to Expect and how to Make it.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">In honor of the greatest of all holidays, St. Patrick's day, today I'm going to be talking about a subject very close to my heart - Guinness.<br />
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Guinness is probably my favorite drink there is. It's too thick for me to enjoy more than a couple of pints at a time, but I do know people who would drink it all day and be none the worse for it. It's a tough drink to get into, very often people will have their first Guinness in the wrong place and this will ruin their experience of it for ever. I know friends who on the spur of the moment have ordered one in a nightclub and got a plastic pint glass filled with the mysterious brown liquid. So sour and repulsive they never finished it swearing to never drink Guinness again.<br />
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However, order a Guinness in the right place where the barman has all the intricateness of a well choreographed and exactly time dance and it will be a hugely rewarding experience.<br />
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Now, it goes without saying that the best Guinness is going to be found on the island of Ireland. The fresher it is the nicer it's going to taste. However it's still very possible to get an excellent pint across Europe as long as they serve a lot of the stuff.<br />
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Any bar that only serves a few pints of Guinness a day is going to be serving a revolting drink. The best bars will go through a keg of Guinness from the time you enter to the time you leave and this means it's always fresh.<br />
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Nextly, the glassware is very important. I'm actually not a fan of Guinness's new glass as you can see below:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jkr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/GUINNESS-Glass-top-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://www.jkr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/GUINNESS-Glass-top-copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That glassware is just to snazzy for my liking however any glass will do the job as long as it's made of glass. I'll take the chance of being hit over the head with one any day compared to the alternative of drinking out of plastics like a child.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next is my favorite part of the event, the pour. Each barman has his own little style however if they know what they are doing they will take their time. A proper Guinness should take just over second to pour and settle so except no substitutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first thing the barman should do is hold the glass at a 45 degree angle as close as possible to the tap and push forward on the bar handle. He should do this for about 1-seconds until the flow from the tap goes from creamy to dark black. Immediately after it turns black he should hold the glass at the same angle and pull back on the handle letting the Guinness flow through whilst constantly minimizing the distance between the tap and the glass. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As the Guinness level rise's he should balance out the glass slowly decreasing the angle it's held at until stopping pouring it so the Guinness level is online with the top of the harp you see on the glass.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After this the Guinness should be gently put down and left for about 70 seconds until the Guinness has fully settled. An ametuer barman will use this time to stare at the glass whilst the customer nervously prays the barman doesn't get impatient and top up the drink to early. An expert will use this time to go and serve someone else or take money off the customer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When the Guinness is ready to be topped up (about seconds) slowly lift it towards the tap and again push forwards but not all the way forward. Minimize the fall distance and let the rest of the Guinness fall into the glass without causing much disturbance so it need not settle again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Do not draw a shamrock (piss in the pint as the Belfast locals call it) but gently hand over the pint to the customer. The top of the pint should be free of any bubbles and with as smooth a head as possible.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the customer, many people make the mistake of sipping the head off the Guinness and then drinking the rest. Do not do this. Instead hold the glass at a high enough angle so the black stuff flows underneath the head into your mouth and the head never gets drunk. This also leaves you with a beautiful 'Guinness Mustache' on your top lip which can be licked away, or else everyone can pose for a photo with their Guinness Mustaches if they are tourists.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So it doesn't matter if you're drinking your Guinness this St.Patricks day in the streets of Dublin or the gutters of New York, make sure your drink is treated with the respect it deserves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=widgetsamazon-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000W8TFYW&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></div></div>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-38395201352694475082011-01-20T09:02:00.000-08:002011-01-20T09:02:52.226-08:00A Small Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">First of all I'd like to apologise for the almost year long gap in posting, I knew back in the day I had a few regular readers and subscribers to this, no doubt you guys gave up checking this a long time ago.<br />
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I also miss the emails I used to get from would be freshers asking about Belfast and how it was. For somebody who's grown up in England it was nice to be an authority on Belfast's fantastic night-life whilst it lasted. However, as it turned out you can't go out as much with the dedication I did and pass your exams as well.<br />
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After resitting first year and failing again I had to move back home to England. I'm now living in a boring small town called Burnley and dying to get back to Belfast. To do so I've got a few idea's in the pipeline, one of which is a novel I've been writing about my time in Belfast. I've already sent a partially completed draft to a few people and they seemed to like it so maybe I can get somewhere with that, even if I end up just putting it on the web for free and trying to make some cash from advertisements and donations.<br />
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I spent the most recent summer working on my own in a small holiday resort for Brits - Kos, Greece. It was great, I got to drink as much as I wanted on the job and lay around on the beach during the day. Even met a few groups from Belfast which was cool.<br />
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My friends in Belfast tell me it's as good as ever although the big wheel has gone if you'd believe it! Apparently the new Sunday night venue is the Kremlin with free entry and £1 drinks, I must check that out when I manage to return.<br />
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I'm sorry the comment system has been fucked up for a while, only noticed that the other day which was a shame, if you want to contact me I'm at dannygillen@gmail.com<br />
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If you're interested, keep watching this space and I'll shortly have a link up for my novel as well as an article on Belfast's night-life in general which I hope to have published in the Gown or something.<br />
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Keep Partying and study harder than I did.<br />
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Danny</div>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-78554828295157034752010-05-19T11:24:00.000-07:002010-05-19T11:25:18.038-07:00Best Venue 09/10 Academic Year - Your Recommendations!Hey!<br />
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</div><div>I haven't posted here in a while and to be honest the main reason is I haven't been out that much, certainly no-where new. I've hit up the traditional venues though, maybe once a week: Limelight, stiff kitten, even went to the Union a few weeks ago.</div><div><br />
</div><div>What I want for the next week or so is some genuine feedback of where you feel has been the best venue for the 2009/2010 Academic year for Belfasts Nightlife. Has Tompsons students only nights saved it from the reputation it gained last year? Has Rain got too crowded to be any fun? Has limelight soldiered on, and whilst clearly quieter than last year held onto it's identity as the best place for Tuesday night?</div><div><br />
</div><div>What ever happened to Mono? Did they ever get any students to go there?!!</div><div><br />
</div><div>What about Stiff Kitten, some of the Thursday nights there have been immense! Amazing drink offers too. The parlours always been a favourite venue of mine but who knew it had a smoking area?! Great to relax and chill out in for while.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>So what is it going to be? Submit your recommendations in the comment box or email me dannygillen@gmail.com</div><div><br />
</div><div>Have at it, I look forward to reading them!</div>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-27993816511702099942010-04-21T19:40:00.000-07:002010-04-21T19:40:28.885-07:00On Adventure and Going Solo, OR/ Fuck this, I'm going to TompsonsI'm now entering towards the end of my secound year in Belfast and I've slowly started becoming more and more tired of the tedium of repetetive nights out. The most common venue I've visited over the last two years has been the student union on a thursday night.<br />
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Now, for the first 2 weeks, a year or so ago, I loved it. The drink offers were fun and it gave me a great oppertunity to meet other students and get to better know my (excellant) friends from halls. However over time this venue has become repetetive and tedious. Tomorrow me and my friends will all be going out and I know virtually exactly what will happen.<br />
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Predrink 10:00pm - 11pm, then arrive at the union, drink till mandela opens, the dance to the same songs we played last week, then Sopranas OR a very small chance Rain. Then home. The more we do this every Thursday the less exciting it becomes, the less new people we meet and the less we pull.<br />
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It's just not remotely exciting. Tonight after seeing scouting for girls, we decided to go to the Box. It used to be quiet a quiet but enjoyable, and cheap spot for a Wednesday night. Tonight however, the queue was huge. Once inside, you had to queue a good while to get a drink, then dance, rinse, repeat.<br />
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I just can no longer see the adventure in this. Recently, I've been persuaded to visit similar venues with my friends, but upoun entering, seeing how busy yet strangely impersonal it is. I just know it's not for me and leave. Often I just go home and regret ever paying in to leave a few minutes later.<br />
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Sometimes however, I try and take responcability for my own fun and go to a place like Tompsons on my own. Tompsons is a place most students would have quite a low opinion of, its often expensive (but can have great deals for a late night club), and has a very very strange crowd.<br />
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Go there on your own however, and you seriously never know what will happen. I've had some fantastic adventures in Tompsons and in similar places, often becuase I've rejected the popular spot for the night and tried to make my own fun.<br />
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Now it doesn't always work, but I'd father rather look a weirdo in somewhere new on my own right now than do the same old same old is the same venues with people I already know. And this isn't to deride my friends. They're an amazing bunch of people who I have a hell of a lot of fun with. But sometimes when you abandon the safety net of a familiar venue and the comfort of your friends, you can have an amazing time.<br />
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I'd highly reccomend trying it.Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-72344094005408652612010-04-20T19:50:00.000-07:002010-04-20T20:01:48.680-07:00QUB English Society CorruptionQUB English Society recently created a facebook event to advertise their 'black and white ball'. However, to further their exposure they resorted to one of the cheapest and most insulting facebook techniques. Anyone who is familiar with facebook will be aware of this, groups where you must first 'become a fan' before you can find out what the group is about.<br />
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This is clearly immoral and just poor form. I advocate the boycotting of this event, and by all means, disruption. It annoys me everytime I have to advertise my 'fanship' for these groups before I even know what I'm supporting.<br />
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To hell with those who would use such a vile and clearly immoral technique. I hope no-one attends and f**k any society who would advertise in such a way.<br />
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When I criticised their methods on their page, my comments were deleted. Well here outside their authority, let it be known how low they are prepared to steep.<br />
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The page:<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/franchise.belfast#!/pages/Knowing-this-about-Queens-University/114430858579317">http://www.facebook.com/franchise.belfast#!/pages/Knowing-this-about-Queens-University/114430858579317</a><br />
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Edit: To excuse this behaviour the society tried to blame geography, I for one am glad their unethical techniques were ineffective: "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">We were hit badly by people hit by the volcano. We needed to get the word out. We tried really hard. It wasn't immoral, just a bit low in the turn-out. We really tried."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-1845814704289440282010-02-11T10:45:00.000-08:002010-02-11T10:46:38.377-08:00New Site and ForumHey!<br />
<br />
BelfastNightlife has moved from blogger onto it's own domain: <a href="http://www.belfastnightlife.net/">www.BelfastNightlife.net</a><br />
<br />
We've also installed message boards at: <a href="http://forum.belfastnightlife.ne/">forum.belfastnightlife.ne</a>t where you can discuss everything to do with Belfast's nightlife.Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-2472493079728846482010-02-02T09:46:00.000-08:002010-02-02T09:47:03.384-08:00Launch of ‘Nu Noise’, Limelights Thursday Student Night!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="color: #eaeaea; font: normal normal normal 13px/20px Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Tahoma, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></i></div><i></i><br />
<i><div style="font: normal normal normal 13px/20px Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">According to </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=281235884412&index=1" style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">their Facebook page</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">:</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 13px/20px Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><em style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">“Belfasts Hottest New Student Club Night comes to the Spring & Airbrake on the 4th of march, each month we will be showcasing the hottest up and coming DJS Northern Ireland has to offer, show your support by coming along and making this student night a success, its 4quid entry and there will be drinks promos on the night!!<br style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />The music will be a mixture of modern Techno, Trance + Electro playing from 9pm till 3am!”</span></em></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 13px/20px Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">This sounds pretty interesting, maybe Thursdays will become what Limelight used to be on Tuesday nights. Hopefully the drink offers are good, I’m getting a little disappointed these days going into Limelight and only seeing vodka/becks/stella for £2 offers. If they could get some VHF’s in and flog them for £1 a bottle they’d be well up there in my books.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 13px/20px Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Either way, the place needs to do something as it seems to be pretty quiet recently, but maybe that’s just due to the time of year. Either way I really enjoy a night out at the Limelight/Spring+Airbrake. I also hear they’re open till 3am on Tuesday nights too, this sounds cool but I don’t think the bar’s open any later so I’m not sure on that one.</span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 13px/20px Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Hopefully I’ll be there tonight, but due to the prices I think I’ll pre-drink a bit more hardcore than usual.</span></div><div style="color: #eaeaea; font: normal normal normal 13px/20px Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><img alt="limelight" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-39" height="225" src="http://belfastnightlife.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/limelight-300x225.jpg" style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="limelight" width="300" /></div></i>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-40546843548762006592010-01-24T21:49:00.000-08:002010-01-24T21:49:57.606-08:00Rain CocktailsI was in Rain tonight and was absolutely amazed at the quality of the cocktails. Even when the bar was packed and I ordered a cocktail it was not rushed in the slightest. The barman - Colly, spent ages mixing the cocktail and then tasting it with a straw dipped in to make sure it was perfect. I was really impressed, at £4.50 each they had a wide selection of cocktails available and the few I had were all delicious.<br />
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I've had my doubts about Rain recently, but this dedication to a perfect drink has put me right back at the top of the fan list. Cheap, quick service, polite and delicious. You couldn't expect anything more when you go to the bar.<br />
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The music was good tonight too, if mixed a little jaggedly. I had a great night and will definitely go back soon, Rains back on my radar for a good night out.Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-46607787567788297712009-12-29T10:04:00.000-08:002009-12-29T10:04:39.933-08:00M-Club<img alt="Clubbing by Marcography." src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/134/334181046_54e7876b9a.jpg" /><br />
I've always wanted to go to M-Club but it's taken me a year and a half to persuade my friends to go with me. <br />
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I went on a Tuesday night, where it's £3 and £1 a drink inside. You need a student card to get in too, loads of people were getting turned around becuase they didn't have one. I think that's just Tuesdays though.<br />
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Anyway, once inside, I was really, really impressed. The club looks amazing, with 3 floors and fantastic lights and furniture.<br />
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When the M-Club say £1 a drink, they really mean it too, excluding redbull and fruit juices, everything was a pound. Even shots of 12 year old highland park - my favourate whiskey. In retrospect that <i>must</i> have been a mistake, it's just too good to be true.<br />
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Anyway, for some reason they only had the middle floor open which wasn't a problem untill about 11:30pm when the place got REALLY busy. The queue for the bar was 4+ deep and it didn't seem like they had any intention of opening another floor.<br />
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That was such a shame, becuase I was really enjoying the bar until that point but there was no-way I was going to queue for ages to get a drink so we all left after being inside for an hour.<br />
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A real shame, if the management had some business sense I would like the place, instead I went to Limelight and had a great time.<br />
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I doubt I'll go back to the M-Club, which is a real shame as it could be so good if they'd only put some more staff on.Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-4543895948387970782009-09-17T08:15:00.000-07:002009-09-17T08:15:42.848-07:00Indigo ReviewedI went to Mono last night for the launch of Belfasts newest student night 'Indigo' as I talked about in the previous post.<br />
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I'd never been to Mono before and was surprised at how big it was. I'm too hungover to write a proper review but it was very good.<br />
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Great music, very flashy and modern looking bar, drinks deals were fantastic and the staff were great. I've forgotten what I was drinking but it was purple/pink and very nice.<br />
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The best bit though was two girls recognised me from my blog, that really made my night!! If anyone else see's me on a night out, please say hello!<br />
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Anyway, Indigo was very fun, I'll definately be there on Wednesday nights if I can. And remember, if you get there before 11:30pm on a Wednesday, mention the Belfast nightlife blog or me and you'll get discounted entry.<br />
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On another note I cannot wait for freshers week, it's a shame I'm working Monday and Tuesday but Thursday night is going to be amazing, might try and get into the Freshers ball this year.Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-16854276012575473692009-09-12T07:22:00.000-07:002009-09-12T07:28:36.892-07:00Belfasts Newest Student Night - Indigo at MonoI've never been to club Mono but I've heard good things about it. It's a very popular club at the weekends which is why a lot of students have never been. Now however, Mono has launched a student night that solves the question: "Where do I go on a Wednesday Night??".<br />
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The answer is Indigo at club Mono. They are offering £2 on a wide selection of drinks and the place stays open till 3am. For all the freshers this year, they are running a bus from Elms every Wednesday at 9:45pm. The bus cost's £1 per person and takes you straight to the club.<br />
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The admission fee is £5 (the same as Rain) but I've been speaking to the management and if you mention the Belfast Nightlife Blog or me (Danny) you'll be able to get in for £4.<br />
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The big opening night is this Wednesday and I cannot wait to see what it's like. I'm really excited about the drinks deals there offering right up to 3am which means it will possibly be a longer and cheaper night than going upstairs in the Bot instead.<br />
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So I hope to see some of you there this Wednesday and don't forget to mention the blog for your discount.<br />
Check out the details on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=132937678777">Facebook</a>Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-90951609622990795362009-09-09T09:54:00.000-07:002009-09-10T07:50:26.506-07:00The Best Guinness in Belfast?In Ireland you can get a pint of Guinness like nowhere else. Anyone who's been to England will be able to tell you the horror of seeing such a fantastic drink butchered by a 16 year old bar girl who thinks she can pour a pint like a glass of lemonade.<br />
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I once saw a bargirl pour a pint of Guinness in one, and then scoop the head out with a spoon and top it up. She served it to my friend and half of it was head and it was overflowing down the sides. In my opinion, if she likes head so much she should hang round in the back alley behind the bar, but I digress.<br />
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In Belfast there are some fantastic bars that do an amazing pint of Guinness that's perfect every time. I like my Guinness pitch black and cold enough so there are water droplets forming outside the glass, the head needs to be very white and stay white too.<br />
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I've drank all over Belfast and in terms of consistency, I've never seen better than you get at Ryan's Bar on the Lisburn Road. It's a very quiet bar during the day, which makes it fantastic for an afternoon pint.<br />
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The worst Guinness in Belfast has to be in the Erigle bar, almost always off coloured, warm and plain stinking.Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8616210843261217295.post-54998683966218722802009-09-05T08:35:00.000-07:002009-09-05T08:35:38.275-07:00Rain Turn-awaysI was back in Belfast for a while so I thought I'd revisit my favourite Belfast club - Rain.<br />
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Happily, on the way there I got a free stamp from some PR guy outside Limelight which meant I didn't have to pay the £5 entrance fee at Rain.<br />
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Now as I was fumbling around outside looking for my ID, these 2 girls and a guy came to get into the club. They were well dressed, pretty and not remotely drunk. The bouncer just turns to them 'Not tonite guys' and turns around.<br />
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I've heard this happen to a lot of people and I don't understand it, does anyone know why they do this? I've been there drunk, dressed up and down, trainers and shoes, doesn't matter. Me and everyone I know have always got in.<br />
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However, I've met several people who are full of stories of getting turned away from Rain inexplicably.<br />
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To Rains credit, they're doing something right, becuase there's never any trouble inside and it's always a fun sociable place to meet people. However, I'm just curious, what is there door policy? Why the strange turn-aways?Daniel Gillenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11490387853646274558noreply@blogger.com0